QCOSTARICA – The increase in critically ill patients with Covid-19 in communities outside the Greater Metropolitan Area (GAM) made it necessary to coordinate more air transfers of these patients to hospitals in San José.
In fact, the Costa Rican Social Security Fund (CCSS) reported that it is planning to bring at least one patient in these conditions to the Central Valley on a daily basis.
With that objective, the institution signed an agreement with the Ministry of Public Security (MSP) for the use its aircraft.
Daniel Quesada Rodríguez, head of the Center for Emergency and Disaster Attention (CAED), of the CCSS, explained that this agreement allows optimizing human resources since a patient can be transferred from an area far from the metropolitan area more quickly.
Quesada confirmed that in areas outside the GAM, cases are increasing, which is why it has been necessary to coordinate this type of mobilization to San José, for patients are treated at the Hospitals: Mexico, Calderón Guardia and San Juan de Dios, as well such as the Specialized Center for the Care of Patients with Covid-19 (Ceaco), the National Children’s Center and the National Psychiatric Center.
In the air transfer, the most complicated patients will be prioritized, who will travel together with the First Response teams of Specialized Medical Intervention (Prime), from Ceaco, or a Regional Emergency Transfer Group (ARTE).
